USCGC Citrus

USCGC Citrus (WAGL-300/WLB-300/WMEC-300) was a Cactus (A)-class seagoing buoy tender built in 1942 in Duluth, Minnesota, and now operated by the navy of the Dominican Republic.

In 1995, after 51 years' service, it was transferred to the Dominican Navy, which commissioned it Almirante Juan Alejandro Acosta.

With home port in Detroit, Michigan, the cutter was to be used for general aids to navigation and icebreaking on the Great Lakes.

Beginning in November 1943, men and materials began to arrive at sites 62 (Sitka), 63 (Amchitka), and 64 (Attu).

Citrus and two Liberty ships, SS George Flavel and SS McKenzie, transported Coast Guard construction crews to erect Quonset huts for Construction Detachment "A" at Massacre Bay, Attu and at Baxter Cove, Adak.

[1][4] Early in February 1944, a five-day storm swept the Massacre Bay area with winds up to 125 mph (201 km/h).

On 27 February 1944, Citrus was dispatched to the assistance of Army tug USAT ST-169 in distress in Chatham Strait after losing its crib tow.

On 17 October 1944 Citrus departed Petersburg to render assistance to ATS Brunswick aground in Wrangell Narrows.

Citrus spent the remainder of the war conducting aids to navigation, logistics, and vessel escort duties in Southwestern Alaskan waters.

[1] From the end of the war until 29 June 1964, Citrus continued to be stationed at Ketchikan and conducted aids to navigation duties.

[1] From 30 June 1964 to 1979 Citrus was stationed at Kodiak, Alaska, and operated frpom there in support of aids to navigation.

[5] From 24 to 26 January 1968, the crew of Citrus fought a fire on the Japanese motor vessel Seifu Maru in Dutch Harbor, Alaska.

[1] On 19 January 1974 Citrus searched for missing crew members from the fishing trawler John and Olaf in the Gulf of Alaska.

[1] Upon her conversion to a medium endurance cutter, Citrus' home port was Coos Bay, Oregon.

[1] After attempting to send a boarding party for a drug search on 1 January 1985, Citrus was rammed by the Panamanian MV Pacific Star 680 mi (1,094 km) southwest of San Diego.

USCGC Citrus after conversion to a medium-endurance cutter
MV Pacific Star after ramming USCG Citrus